February 24th 2011 8:00 pm PT

At the Xbox press event today in San Francisco we announced details about the upcoming Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta, as well as additional news for Xbox 360, Kinect, Windows Phone 7 and PC gamers.

Here is a run down of the news:

Gears of War 3- Kicking off in mid-April, the Gears of War 3 public multiplayer beta will give players a chance to experience three new Versus Multiplayer modes on four new maps, and help shape the year’s biggest blockbuster, set to launch worldwide on Sept. 20 and in Japan on Sept. 22. You can even decide which maps you would like to see in the beta starting today by visiting the Gears of War Facebook page and voting on their favorites. Voting ends on Feb. 28.

Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack – Available on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points on March 15, the Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack introduces three stunning new battlefields for the most critically acclaimed shooter of 2010. Set in the heat of the legendary Battle of Reach, the three new warfronts – Condemned, Highlands and Unearthed – are primed for non-stop action in Firefight and all competitive multiplayer modes.

Halo Waypoint – Looking for more ways to share your best Halo victories with friends? Fire up Halo Waypoint on Windows Phone 7 or HaloWaypoint.com today to check out the new stat-tracking features, which allow you to share your in-game stats on the web and compare against friends from the palm of your hand.

Fable III Traitor’s Keep game add-on – Available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 560 Microsoft Points on March 1, the Traitor’s Keep game add-on continues the journey as fans venture into three new levels called Ravenscar Keep, Clockwork Island, and the Godwin Estate, taking on new quests and encountering a mysterious prisoner. Traitor’s Keep also comes packed with 250 gamerscore points and additional content.

Crysis 2 3-D – Stunning in either HD or 3-D, Crysis 2 from Crytek and Electronic Arts, lets players step into a post-apocalyptic world where alien invaders stalk the streets of New York City. With 12 multiplayer maps and six modes on Xbox LIVE, wield the supersoldier enhancements of the Nanosuit 2 when Crysis 2 launches on Xbox 360 on March 22.

Child of Eden – Winner of several E3 awards, Child of Eden is a multi-sensory shooter from the mind of renowned game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi that will send players diving into a kaleidoscopic matrix of synchronized music and mind-blowing visuals. Since “Child of Eden” was designed with Kinect for Xbox 360 in mind, only on Xbox 360 players will experience the controller-free magic that provides a new dimension of immersion when the game launches later this year.

Once Upon a Monster – In a truly original interactive experience, young players join Cookie Monster, Elmo and other Sesame Street characters as they explore a living storybook titled Once Upon a Monster. In the book, they make new zany monster friends from the Once Upon a Monster world and share in their adventures, solving problems, forging friendships and learning key life skills along the way. Parents and children literally become part of the whimsical storybook adventure by getting active together through dancing, jumping, flying and more.

The Gunstringer – From the developers that brought you award-winning hits like Splosion Man, The Maw and Comic Jumper, comes an all-new Kinect-exclusive title, The Gunstringer for Xbox LIVE Arcade. Take control of an undead marionette in an epic Wild West stage production that requires your puppeteering and quick draw shooting skills to exact revenge on the Gunstringer’s enemies – all controller-free.

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile – Created by award-winning indie developer James Silva, “The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile” is the stylistic action platform sequel to 2009’s “Dead Samurai.” The exclusive Xbox LIVE Arcade title features solo and co-op campaigns, 50 intense arcade challenges, an almost endless Dish Challenge, and now for the first time, the combo-fueled action will be playable in 3D. Grab your six foot long syringe and sharpen your cleavers, because it’s about to get bloody.

Fable III for Windows – Launching in the US on May 17, Fable III for Windows takes gamers back to Albion for the next installment of the beloved Fable franchise. Players can take advantage of the same great action found on the console game as well as a full 3-D functionality made possible by NVIDIA technology and a PC-exclusive hardcore mode which offers a higher level of difficulty.

Age of Empires Online for Windows – The next evolution in the best-selling real-time strategy franchise, Age of Empires Online invites players to create a living, growing online world, shared with friends and friendly rivals around the world. With a robust free-to-play experience and a deep selection of premium content packs, Age of Empires Online is always evolving so you can choose the content that’s right for you and your budget.

Fable Coin Golf – Launching March exclusively on Windows Phone 7, Fable: Coin Golf draws upon the wealth of traditional British pub games and lets you transfer gold earned in the game to your Fable III game on either Xbox 360 or Windows. In addition, you can unlock three exclusive weapons that can be used in the Traitor’s Keep game add-on.

Must Have Games for Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone 7: Kicking off this spring, this collection of the biggest names in mobile games brings you six weeks of hits, including Plants vs Zombies, Hydro Thunder Go, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I, geoDefense, Doodle Jumpand more – all complete with Xbox LIVE Achievements, leaderboards and more.

Not that I’m a big advocate of Windows Phone 7 or anything (especially since I currently have an Android phone), but to be honest you really can’t compare a free ad-supported version of a mobile game to a Windows Phone 7 version that has added XBL integration with achievements and gamerscore. They might toss out an occasional freebie with that to their fans (like Aegis Wing on the 360), but other than that, it’s not gonna happen.

xTHE MAC GODx

So… what about the Bulletstorm GoW3 beta…

Premierdrmmr07

Take notes Major Nelson and pass them along to your superiors….The actual 360 GAMER crowd is upset with you. The ones that are willing spend hundreds of dollars on games for your console….the ones that have supported you since 2001….The ones that made you a house hold name….We are upset. Not releasing one single retail exclusive until the fall is ridiculous….you have lost your way….Stop hyping your announcements because they always end in disappointment….you are already saying wait for E3…..What you mean is wait till the fall and 2012 to buy games on our console….games that are suppose to showcase our counsel….instead you support the “Soccer Mom” crowd with all this crap….the people that will just jump from one fad to the next…..What will you do when they are gone? What will you do when your REAL fans are gone? You are digging yourself into a hole you may not be able to dig yourself out of if you continue your track record of, 1 or 2 exclusives a year, timed exclusives, timed downloadable content….

-One disappointed Xbox 360 fan.

Massamo

what the hell are you all going on about

Jaysonguy

Hey Premierdrmmr07
I’m part of that so called “GAMER” crowd and I’m happy with things

In the future please don’t include people like me in your rants, I’m able to look at the whole picture when it comes to the console and the company instead of throwing out “exclusivesexclusivesexclusives” with blinders on.

I want good games, period. I want them where I enjoy playing my games the most, on my 360.
I also plan on taking advantage of things like Netflix and ESPN so once again Microsoft is coming through with flying colors for me.

Lanmanna

Wow, I don’t like what the Xbox has become at all. Straying from making games that not just casuals or hardcore games could enjoy, but everyone.

Reminds me of Nintendo the past few years, focusing solely on my parents and grandparents. At least they saw their mistake and are (slowly) fixing it. I hope Microsoft does the same.

LeX DiRtY

Never forget who saved your ass and your job since 2001 – The hardcore gamer. Give us something nice. Kinect is fun and I will be playing some of the games announced at TGS, but I want some regular Core titles as well. You have IPs like Crimson Skies, so why don’t you use them?

The whole industry is struggling and a lot of talent is on the market (bizarre creations) make sure you hire talented people and build more studios. I thought Microsoft is a company that knew that software matters.

Tondo

wow, not a single new game announced.. so dissapointed in MS When DLC for old game and some PC ports are your “big” news, something is really wrong. Im starting to get really worried about MS first party support.

CuddlyClamShot

What?

WilliamRLBaker

@DeFFeR

So no 360 games are being released for you? man what dimension do you live in…I mean even if what your wanting are Exclusives there are loads of multiplatform games being released and xbox live exclusives…hell I just purchased Dragon age origins ultimate edition for the 360…

WilliamRLBaker

*shakes head* I love the arrogance and ego of the “”hardcore”” gamer they act as though they are the majority…the casuals outnumber you guys 2000/1 do you actually think those games are being marketed to you? do you think halo,gears, call of duty..etc achived over 5 million sales based upon hard cores?
*shakes head*

NEW P4TH

Where is the First Party games Microsoft???? Gears 3 and Forza 4 are awesome retail titles, but thats not enough for a whole year. You guys have alot of IPS you own that would make killer Xbox 360 exclusives. Killer Instinct, Blue Dragon, Perfect Dark, Conker, Blood Wake, Kameo, Lost Odyssey, Phantom Dust, Project Gotham Racing, Crimson Skies, Midtown Madness, MechAssault, Shadowrun, Alan Wake….the list goes on and on.

Bring me the sequels to games I fell in love with back on the original Xbox. Look at Sony’s line up and tell me thats not embarrassing for you guys. They have over 10 exclusives scheduled for release this year and thats not even including what they have in store for E3. If you can let the folks higher up know this, I will greatly appreciate this. Let the person in charge of making these decisions know this.

dirty whirlwind

Real Xebec: Angry Bird isn’t mentioned in this post, as I was so clearly specifying. Nonetheless, the ad-supported free version of Angry Bird on Android is an exception, not a rule. And no, Angry Bird is not free on AppStore, and has never been.

Ronan Berthelot

Anyway this event was foolish. We have been waiting for weeks and there is not a single announcement. The truth is I was not expecting anything until you guys of Microsoft hype de thing.
I was enjoying Beyond Good & Evil on XBLA next week but that’s truly not enough when Sony is releasing major exclusive titles during the same time…

Boe2

Because I can’t seem to get an answer on this question anywhere, Ill ask it here: Will Child of Eden also have normal controls (like Rez) for people that don’t want to use kinect?

Stephan1237

This event is shit. Windows Phone 7 is not even out in my Country. Fable 3 for the pc, hmm I have Fable 3 already on my Xbox. Where are the hardcore games for Xbox for the true Xbox fans? This is really disappointing.What a crap event. It’s not your fault Major you are just the messenger but Xbox is falling apart. I don’t like Kinect and will never buy Kinect. I want hardcore games such as Uncharted or a awesome Xbox 360 exclusive game.

Later in this year:

Major Nelson : Kinect Animals 2,Dance Central 2,Hello Kitty and the evil world announced for Xbox 360.

dirty whirlwind

Boe2: Yes, it will work with a regular controller.

Ronan Berthelot

Even announcing Halo HD (1080p and 3D compatible) from Saber Interactive or PGR5 from Sumo Digital that everyone knows about would have been enough.

@Boe2 Yes, the game is playable with the controler and it’s also coming to PS3 (not compatible with PS Move).

Conor 419

Why on earth would you announce this stuff at an event? More importantly, why on EARTH would you hype this stuff at all? I can’t actually believe that Microsoft are pulling a Nintendo 2008/2009, and even then. As they have such a weak hold on the casual market, I’m even more surprised that they haven’t at least shown something innovative for the Kinect audience. It’s a complete and utter shambles. The 360 is beginning to struggle technically, and now there aren’t even good games to make up for it. On top of this, the refusal to team up with valve to bring steamworks to the system, the price hyke for xbox live EVEN FOR EUROPEANS who get absolutely nothing out of xbox live and finally, the constant need to screw over developers such as Rare and Ruffian games just has me think the 360 isn’t worth sticking with anymore. What are the chances of it lasting another 5 years, really?

Real Xebec

I don’t care about XBL intergration if it means they’re going to charge $5.00 game on Windows Phone. I would rather have a free ad supported version. I own both a Samsung Captivate Android phone and a Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7. The following is a perfect example:

Fruit Ninja: Free on Android, $2.99 on Windows Phone
Angry Birds: Free on Android with free regular addon levels, $4.99 (likely) on Windows Phone, who knows how much addons level will be if even there are any.

Stephan1237

Indie games = Not available in my country
WP7= Not available in my country
Zune marketplace = videos without subtitles

I will be happy when there is WP7/Indie games and some hardcore exclusive games. Microsoft is going to be the second Nintendo .

BurningFlag666

These are the big announcements? There is barely nothing new here and what is new is nothing big. Where are all the exclusive titles? Sony has something like over 15 or so exclusive titles this year. We have one. Are you kidding me? Disapointing!!!

You can play Arkham Asylum in 3D (I played through entirely in 3D, it was awesome). With the Pigsy’s Perfect 10 add-on for Enslaved, it allows you to play either the expansion or the full original game in 3D as well.

…this 3D uses the ‘Trioviz’ glasses. These do not require a 3D TV. The effect is very, very awesome (I recommend Googling it to find out more). I’ve been trying to find a list of all the available 3D games which use the Trioviz glasses – it appears there is no list available anywhere. And it’s odd that there was hardly any mention of 3D with the Pigsy’s Perfect 10 add-on for Enslaved (it’s like this hush hush secret).

Black Ops can be played in 3D on the 360 as well, but that 3D is not done using the Trioviz glasses – it requires an actual 3D TV.

MACPH1ST0

@Real Xebec: Those kind of examples are exactly what I’m talking about, even though Fruit Ninja does actually cost at least $0.99 on the Android Market. MS is going to add XBL integration with achievements and gamerscore to their version of every popular mobile game they can just so they can charge people for it in Windows Phone 7. That’s just what the standard is if you want to play popular games with Windows Phone 7. The only kind of free games you’re going to get with Windows Phone 7 are little mini-games with no XBL integration and nothing popular.

SplitSaw

gears!!!!

SplitSaw

gears!!!!

Lord Wake

So, Hulu Plus is suppose to come out in ‘early 2011.’ Well it’s 4 days from March. When are we going to get some news on a release date, and I would like to know MS’s definition of ‘early.’

The Grim Heaper

@ Lord Wake They are probably waiting for the Spring 2011 Dashboard update to bring Hulu Plus and the other ‘awesome’ features.

MACPH1ST0

And since you mentioned that, when are Time Warner Cable & Bright House Networks customers finally going to get ESPN3 event streaming on the 360? ESPN3.com has already been activated and working on PCs for those customers for at least 3 months now. As for XBL ESPN streaming, in November, “by the end of the year” was the time frame given. Then after that passed with nothing, it changed to “by the end of January”. And now it’s almost the end of February, and still nothing. So what’s the deal?

LeX DiRtY

What the hell are you complaining about? In Germany we are still waiting for Last.FM, something similar to Netflix and Kinects voice recognition. Kinect does not speak German, so far the microphones are worthless.

We pay 80 $ per year for Xbox Live.

MACPH1ST0

@LeX DiRtY: Not complaining, just looking for a more recent update on something already confirmed (and not hoping for something that’ll probably never happen).

chiruno99

As usual, people complaining about live, yet still shelling out for it.

a1984darkboy

A sequel to Dishwasher? Hmm, I played the trial of the first one and had plenty of fun. Anyone here enjoy it? I might wait around the release of the sequel to see if the game gets a sale.

Ganon255

Child of Eden is the game I am MOST interested in checking out.

sepulturas666

Nothing to see here… -_-

Stephan1237

@LeX DiRtY same here in Holland. No last.fm and the US gets Hulu Plus and what do we get. Nothing!!!!.

My subscription runs out in April and when there is no good deal for Xbox Live I will not buy Xbox Live again. Only when its 35 euro’s or lower.We pay the same as the Americans and they are getting more and more services and us people in Europe (Germany/France/Holland) are not getting anything.